We found many of these old churches that had survived the war amazing in their design and the fact people built these without modern cranes. This is the Cologne Church. It's much taller than this picture makes it look.Another interesting fact is Cologne and Amsterdam is they are bicycle cities. Bicycles ad their riders have the right of way on the sidewalk, and have their own street lights. The intersections have a light for the cars, the pedestrians, and the bicyclists. Gasoline is $6-10 per gallon. So I can see why bicycles are popular.Roads and highways are narrow. If our bus window could be opened, I would be able to touch the passing vehicle. Glad the driver knew how to maneuver.

​We took a bus tour around Vienna, Austria. This particular building is a residence for the local monks. Right now only 12 live here. Europe is having a terrible heat wave, so we were glad to have AC in the bus.

Not far from here is a famous Ferris wheel that was built in 1897. Originally, it had 30 cabins that held 12 passengers each. It has been restored many times and currently does work. We didn't get to take a ride.

I took art history eons ago and I still have trouble distinguishing between the different architectural styles. I think this is Romanesque but don't quote me. Here are the differences:Romanesque 1050-1200 AD, have symmetrical floor plans, round arches set on pillarsGothic 1150-1450 AD, included many cathedrals and city halls with pointed arches and flying buttresses. Lots of stain glass work designed to draw the eye upward.Renaissance 1450-1600 AD, symmetrical and formalBaroque 1550-1775 AD Renaissance style but highly ornamental to express the wealthy patrons.Rococo 1725-1775 AD is Baroque with abandoned symmetry and ornate with ornamental mirrors and furniture. Neoclassical 1775-1875 AD symmetry, columns, triangle pediments that copied early Greek and Roman styles.Art Nouveau 1890-1910 had organic retro lines and ironwork. What was amazing is most of the famous churches and city buildings, which look like churches, were spared during WWI. In one case where a school's side wings had been gutted, an American saved the center dome area by having the roof covered to protect the artwork inside. He has his own dedication room in the building. There is so much to see in Budapest, I wouldn't mind visiting again.

Now I usually write fiction, scifi or UF, but my recent travel to Europe has given me some ideas for my book next year. We started in Budapest. Did you know the city had two names? Buda and Pest. When they consolidated, they became Budapest. The castle like building you see in this pic is one of a few ramparts near our hotel. Lots of stairways. Hungary is in the heart of Europe and did we ever have a heat wave. Temps soared to 95 or more. The country is bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. It covers about 36,000 sq.miles.They have their own currency and take Euros. It is a Parliamentary Republic. We spent two days there going on tours around the town before we boarded our Viking ship on the Danube.-A. Nation

My short stories give you a peak into my full novels, but why I asked the question is due to my recent trip to Europe. Several tales came to mind. So I may release a few short ones at first but for now there is a novel developing in the back of my mind. I kept a lot of notes and took over 2000 pictures. I'll keep you up to date on that matter.Right now, I'm almost finished with my 12th sci-fi novel, The Takers. About how the guilty goes to an extreme to rid whistle blowers on so many levels under the guise of 'cleaning our streets up.' Watch me on this Facebook page for updates and discount sales. Or visit my webpage. Links for your information:Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ANationAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/A-Nation/e/B00SUHXM6EBooks2Read: https://books2read.com/ap/nmX0ER/A-NationA. Nation Author: https://www.facebook.com/AnationWriter/A. Nation Books: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorANation/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/anationLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-nation-6a8a05112/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anation347/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/anation347/